Our Impact

• Objectives:
  • Create NCD clinics
  • Train frontline health workers to diagnose and treat NCDs
• Medtronic Partner: Partners in Health
• Location: Rwanda
• Global NCD Strategy:
  • Strengthening Health Systems

When Jean-Bosco arrived at Kabarondo Health Center, about 85 miles east of Kigali, Rwanda, he had barely slept. He complained of shortness of breath that not only kept him awake at night, but had forced him to abandon his farm in the Kayonza district and turn to bicycle repair to help support his family.

Jean-Bosco is forty years old, and as the nurse took his blood pressure, tested his lung capacity, and listened to his breathing with a stethoscope, he gave answers in authoritative monosyllables, with a brisk nod of the head. His wheezing was severe, and she quickly diagnosed him with acute asthma. Jean-Bosco was prescribed a salbutamol inhaler on the spot, and within ten minutes this disorder that had made daily activities a misery had substantially resolved.

Jean Bosco's gift of breath was made possible by a groundbreaking new partnership between Rwanda's Health Ministry and Partners In Health, made possible by support from Medtronic Foundation. He was attending the second ever "non-communicable disease clinic" at Kabarondo Health Center.

Treating patients at the NCD Clinic at Kaborondo Health Center, Rwanda

The nurse on duty, Rosette Kayitesi, had been trained along with nine other nurses at the PIH facility in Rwinkwavu. Her training will allow her to diagnose and treat the non-communicable diseases that wreak the most havoc on Rwanda's poor, including diabetes, cancer, heart failure, hypertension, and chronic respiratory ailments like asthma. These are illnesses that cause significant illness and death, but have never before been treated or even diagnosed in Rwanda and other poor countries.

As Jean-Bosco left, Gedeon Ngoga, the PIH consultant, asked him how he was feeling. The taciturn man smiled. "Very good," he said, and took the first step toward the rest of his life.

• Objectives:
  • Increase Public Awareness of Heart Disease Symptoms and Risks
  • Expand Access through Affordable Treatment Options
• Medtronic Business: Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management
• Location: India
• Global NCD Initiative Strategy:
  • Therapy and Healthcare Delivery Innovation

Healthy Heart for All (HHFA), a Medtronic business model innovation project, is aimed at helping cardiac patients in India improve the quality of their lives. The challenges are many – from identifying patients in need of care among the vast numbers of India’s rural poor to removing the many physical, systemic and financial barriers that prevent them from getting the care they need.

Piloted in fiscal year 2011, HHFA required broad collaboration to develop a care delivery ecosystem that is geographically appropriate for India and invests in patients’ long-term health and future growth. Patients, physicians, nurses, patient counselors and hospitals were all integral to the project’s success.

The HHFA pathway to care begins with efforts that increase public awareness of heart disease symptoms and risks, including patient education activities through local events, text messaging and social media. Innovative patient outreach programs also identify patients who could benefit from pacing therapy.

Finally the HHFA financing program, tailored to each patient’s unique situation, significantly improves the affordability of devices for those identified.

The collaborative approach is paying life-saving dividends for patients like Angurbala Kshetrapal, a 45-year-old single mother in Durgapur.

Angurbala visited The Mission Hospital in Durgapur in June 2010 because she was experiencing frequent blackouts and heart palpitations. Her cardiologist recommended a pacemaker, and with HHFA financing options Angurbala was able to afford one, as well as the follow-up care she needed to return to a healthy, productive life.

• Objectives:
  • Train Local Healthcare Professionals
  • Develop Self-Sustaining Pediatric Care Centers of Excellence
• Medtronic Partner:Heart to Heart International Children’s Medical Alliance
• Location:Tomsk, Siberia, Russian Federation
• Global NCD Initiative Strategy:
  • Strengthening Health Systems

Like many children in Russia, 13-year-old Ludmila and her family had no idea she had been born with a potentially life-threatening heart defect. Her persistent shortness of breath was something she simply tried to ignore, as she loved to play sports and had many household responsibilities following the death of her mother. Fortunately for her long-term health, a bout with the flu landed her in the hospital in Abakan at the same time that cardiac specialists from the Tomsk Cardiology Institute – trained by Heart to Heart over the last several years – were there conducting an annual outreach clinic. They diagnosed her with mitral valve insufficiency: a congenital heart defect that is routinely screened for and corrected in babies in the United States. However, 85 percent of children in the world – like Ludmila – do not have access to this kind of modern heart care.

The Medtronic Foundation actively supports organizations like Heart to Heart that are on a mission to improve these statistics. While innovative medical technologies can be a significant part of the solution, countries need to have the medical infrastructure and expertise to fully optimize their use. With funding from the Medtronic Foundation, for over twenty years, Heart to Heart has trained doctors abroad in the art and science of pediatric open heart surgery. Heart to Heart’s surgical-educational missions to underserved parts of the world pair advanced surgical teams from the United States with local healthcare providers – like the team in Tomsk, Siberia – to develop state-of-the-art, sustainable cardiac centers throughout Russia. The goal is to empower local experts to prevent, treat, and cure pediatric heart disease in their own populations.

Ludmila's story has a happy ending. Dr. Bert Litwin, Heart to Heart's pediatric cardiac surgeon on the 2011 mission, repaired her mitral valve. The surgery was successful – not just for Ludmila, but also for the dozens of local and visiting Russian heart specialists who were able to observe Dr. Litwin's surgical expertise and benefit from his mentoring. Ludmila is one of more than 12,000 babies and children born with life-threatening heart defects who have been saved by doctors and nurses at Heart to Heart-sponsored sites to date.

This year, in the November 15 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) in a “State-of-the-Art Paper,” experts confirmed the enormous problem congenital heart disease represents in global healthcare today: “Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common cause of major congenital anomalies, representing a major global health problem. Twenty-eight percent of all major congenital anomalies consist of heart defects.”

Daily lecture on advanced pediatric cardiac medicine, Tomsk, Siberia, April 2011. By teaching specialists from all across Russia, Medtronic Foundation grantee Heart to Heart accelerates the development of both regional and national medical infrastructure to manage the care of children born with congenital heart disease.

• Objectives:
  • Train Local Healthcare Professionals
  • Screen School Children for RHD diagnosis
  • Elevate RHD to national level and promote an integrated prevention model
• Medtronic Partner: Rwanda Heart Foundation
• Location: Kigali, Rwanda
• Global NCD Initiative Strategy:
  • Strengthening Health Systems

As a child growing up in Rwanda, Suzan remembers how much she loved school. But she also remembers feeling tired most of the time, unaware that undiagnosed rheumatic heart disease (RHD) was slowly robbing her of her life and her dream of becoming a teacher. She lacked access to a simple course of antibiotics could have prevented the disease. Suzan was one of more than 200,000 Africans every year destined to die from RHD.

Luckily, Suzan received treatment through efforts of Team Heart and its on-the-ground partners, King Faisal Hospital, Kigali and Rwanda Heart Foundation. These organizations are committed to establishing, with the support of the Ministry of Health, a program to diagnose, treat and ultimately prevent RHD in Rwanda.

Medtronic Foundation grants support the screening of school children for signs and symptoms of rheumatic fever and RHD as well as the training of health workers and teachers. More importantly, this work has allowed Team Heart and the Rwanda Heart Foundation to work with the Ministry of Health in order to integrate the program in to the existing healthcare system, elevating this issue to the national level to secure necessary commitment and resources.

Fulfilling her dream, Suzan now works as a teacher and is able to contribute to her community rather than generating repeated health care costs due to end-stage heart disease. In addition, she serves as a role model for other female patients and volunteers to raise awareness for heart disease.

Teaching about RHD prevention in a rural Rwandan school

• Objectives:
  • Raise Awareness of Global NCD Challenge
  • Drive Actionable Plans for Coordinated Global Response to NCDs
• Medtronic Partner: NCD Alliance
• Location: Global
• Global NCD Initiative Strategy:
  • Policy and Advocacy

Today, nearly two-thirds of all deaths worldwide are caused by noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer, diabetes, and lung and heart disorders. By 2030, that number is expected to increase to three out of every four deaths.

In September 2011, political leaders for the first time turned their collective attention to NCDs at a United Nations High Level Meeting. One of the earliest voices calling for the UN High-Level Meeting and a driving force in the preparatory process was the NCD Alliance, a global coalition of nonprofit organizations dedicated to building political commitments for these neglected diseases.

The NCD Alliance represents the four leading international federations tackling these diseases: the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), World Heart Federation (WHF), Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union). Together these four federations represent more than 900 national member associations in more than 170 countries, and an additional 1,000 NGOs in a growing network. By working together from the global to the local level, the NCD Alliance brings a united voice to the global campaign for NCDs – a voice that was heard at the United Nations High Level Meeting and beyond.

The sheer scope of the NCD global health crisis calls for solutions far beyond what any one government or institution can implement. That is why the Medtronic Foundation provided initial funding to support the dedicated work of the NCD Alliance.

The outcome of the United Nations High-Level Meeting was a Political Declaration on NCD Prevention and Control that commits Heads of Government to a coordinated global response to NCDs involving all sectors – governments, the private sector and civil society. The Political Declaration is a major milestone in the history of global health and has the potential to accelerate global action on NCDs, increase financial resources and save millions of people from premature death and debilitating health complications.

The NCD Alliance has helped put NCDs on the global agenda. They are engaging a strong civil society of NGOs committed to the effort and establishing the foundation for future strategic partnerships that will support the practical implementation of the United Nations High Level Meetings Political Declaration.

• Objectives:
  • Train National and Provincial Health Leaders Able to Contribute to China's Health Care Reform
• Medtronic Partner: Harvard School of Public Health
• Location: China
• Global NCD Initiative Strategy:
  • Strengthening Health Systems

China is navigating through a period of profound transition as it strengthens its position as a global power and that includes addressing their enormous public health needs. The Chinese government is currently in the process of implementing a comprehensive healthcare reform plan aimed at providing health insurance for all by 2020. 

To help them meet this goal, the Harvard School of Public Health has joined China in its quest for improved health systems by establishing the China Initiative.  This innovative program leverages Harvard's expertise in research and training to educate a critical mass of open-minded, well-informed and highly effective leaders at national and provincial levels. Through the program, they develop the capacity to create and implement sound, evidence-based policies and find innovative solutions to local health care issues.

Through support of Harvard's China Initiative, Medtronic Foundation grants provide funding for high-level training programs that enable local leaders to gain a global perspective on best practices and hard lessons different countries have experienced in reforming health systems and improving public health. These leaders go on to make meaningful and substantial contributions to China's health care reform.

One such leader is Dr. Zhang Zongjiu, former Deputy Director of Medical Administration at the Chinese Ministry of Health. After the training, Dr. Zhang Zongjiu went on to become the founding leader of a new department of medical services regulation established in 2009 at the Chinese Ministry of Health.  Today, Dr. Zhang Zongjiu is leading China's efforts to assure medical safety and improve quality.

Another leader shaping the health care system is Dr. Xu Jianguang. He was a hospital director when he joined the China Initiative as a student in 2006. He went on to become Director-General of the City Health Bureau in Shanghai.  As Director-General, Dr. Xu Jianguang is responsible for designing and carrying out a number of cutting-edge initiatives including rapid adoption of electronic health records and establishing China's leading medical residents program – two initiatives that have forever changed China's health care system.

Over the past five years, 300 senior health executives like Dr. Xu Jianguang and Dr. Zhang Zongjiu have graduated from the China Initiative and are now working in key positions for health system restructuring and management.